Barn gutter cleaning paddle



Aug. 16, 1966 L. H. ZIMMERMAN BARN GUTTER CLEANING PADDLE Filed May 21, 1965 INVEN TOR.

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United States Patent 3,266,622 BARN GUTTER CLEANING PADDLE Levi H. Zimmerman, RD. 1, Denver, Pa. Filed May 21, 1965, Ser. No. 457,710 3 Claims. (Cl. 198-224) This invention relates to barn gutter cleaners, and more particularly to an improved gutter paddle and means for operatively supporting the paddle.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved gutter paddle assembly adapted to be mounted on the reciprocating bar of a conventional barn gutter cleaning apparatus, the paddle and its supporting structure being arranged so that it can be mounted reversibly, namely, can be mounted for pushing action in either direction of desired movement of the material being conveyed in the associated gutter, the paddle and its supporting means being relatively simple in construction, being easy to install, and being reliable in operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved barn gutter cleaner paddle assembly adapted to be mounted in a reciprocating bar of a conventional barn gutter cleaning mechanism, the paddle assembly involving inexpensive components, being durable in construction, and being reversible so that it can be employed without modification in installations for conveying manure and other waste material along a barn gutter in either longitudinal direction of the gutter, as required.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of a barn gutter provided with a longitudinal reciprocating paddle bar and driving means therefor, the paddle bar being equipped with improved gutter paddle assemblies constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the gutter of FIGURE 1, showing a paddle bar in transversely-extended position and mounted for pushing material toward the left.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view, similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the paddle 'bar mounted for moving the material in the gutter toward the right.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale showing a paddle bar, as employed in FIGURES 1 to 4, with its supporting bracket, but separated therefrom.

Referring to the drawing, 11 designates a barn gutter such as is commonly employed in barns or stables for collecting manure or other debris, the gutter being arranged near the stalls containing the animals and being so located that the waste material will drop into the gutters. The material is cleaned out of the gutters by being swept longitudinally therealong toward a collection point, for example, being moved toward the left, as viewed in FIG- URE 1.

Mechanical conveying means comprising a hydraulic cylinder 12 connected to a longitudinally-reciprocating angle bar 13 are provided, the cylinder 12 being mounted by means of U-shaped brackets 14 on one sidewall of the gutter 11, the piston rod 15 associated with the piston in the cylinder being connected by a bracket 16 to the vertical flange of the reciprocating angle bar 13. Conventional pressure fluid-supply means is provided with suitable conduits connected between the supply means and the hydraulic cylinder 12 to reciprocate the piston rod 15, and thus to reciprocate the angle bar 13.

Suitable offset guide brackets 17 may be provided to guide the angle bar 13 for longitudinal reciprocating movement. A plurality of paddles 18 are pivoted to the horizontal flange 19 of the angle bar 13, the paddles being provided with suitable supporting means in accordance with the present invention for causing the paddles to push the material in the gutter in the desired direction responsive to the reciprocation of angle bar 13.

Each paddle assembly 18 comprises a rigid vertical blade 20 which has a substantially straight bottom edge 21 and which is suitably reinforced, as by the provision of longitudinal reinforcing ribs 22 on its opposite sides. The blade 20 is formed integrally at one end thereof with a relatively thick pivot lug 23 having a semicylindrical end surface 24 and being formed with a vertical bore 25 which is coaxial with said semicylindrical end surface. The end surface 24 merges with parallel vertical sidewall surfaces 26, 26. Projecting perpendicularly from the opposite sides of the inner portion of lug 23 adjacent the root portion of the blade 20 are respective vertical wings or ribs 28, 28 which are symmetrically located relative to the longitudinal vertical plane of the blade 20 and which are of substantial length, as well as being equal in height to the main body portion of lug 23, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 5.

Designated at 29 is a generally U-shaped supporting bracket formed with the oppositely-directed apertured end fastening tabs 30, 30 adapted to be secured to the underside of the horizontal flange 19 of the reciprocating angle bar 13, as by fastening bolts 31, 31, as shown in FIGURE 4. The bracket 29 comprises the horizontal bottom wall 32 and the respective vertical end Walls 33, 33 of a height sufiicient to receive the lug 23 between the horizontal bracket bottom wall 32 and the bottom surface of flange 19 with sufficient looseness to permit free pivoting action of lu 23 therein, as will be presently described.

Rigidly secured on the horizontal wall portion 32 of bracket 29 adjacent one vertical end wall 33 is an upstanding pivot pin 35 adapted to be received in the bore 25 and spaced from the adjacent vertical wall 33 by a distance such that the lug 23 is free to pivot only through an angle of approximately being limited by the engagement of the adjacent wing or lug element 28 with the vertical edge of the adjacent vertical end wall 33. Thus, as is indicated in FIGURE 5, the pin 35 is spaced sufficiently from the adjacent end wall 33 to allow the lug 23 to be engaged on the pin 35 and to provide clearance between the semicylindrical surface 24 and the inside surface of the adjacent end wall 33 such that the blade 20 can rotate in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 5, from the outwardly-extending position thereof illustrated to a position wherein the blade 20 engages the opposite end of the bracket. Clockwise rotation of blade 20 is limited by the engagement of the right-hand win g element 28 with the vertical edge of the end wall 33 adjacent the pivot pin 35, namely, the blade 20 is limited to a position wherein .it projects substantially perpendicular to the direction of the bracket 29.

Thus, in the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 1, the blade assemblies 18 are mounted by means of their associated supporting brackets 29 on the bar 13 in a manner to allow clockwise movement of the blade elements 20 relative to bar 13 when said bar is moved toward the right, as viewed in FIGURE 1, whereby the blades are moved past the material accumulated in the channel or gutter 1 1, (whereas, when the bar 13 moves toward the left, the blades 20 come into contact with the material and are caused by such contact to be swung to outwardlyproject-ing positions substantially perpendicular to bar 13, as shown in FIGURE 2, and are limited in their counterclockwise rotation to these positions by the engagement of the outermost wing elements 28 with the adjacent vertical edges of the end walls 33 of their supporting brackets 29. Thus, the blades 20 provide a pushing action which moves the material in the gutter 11 toward the left along with the leftward movement of the reciprocatory bar 13, the blades 20 automatically retracting, namely, being moved toward their dotted-view positions, as shown in FIGURE 2, when the bar 13 moves toward the right, as viewed .in FIGURE 1. Thus, each reciprocation of the bar 13 moves the material in the gutter 11 toward the left through a step substantially equal to the stroke of the piston rod 15, the assemblies 18 being spaced correspondingly along the bar 13 so as to successively engage the masses of material moved by the respective blades.

If the collection point is located toward the right, as viewed in FIGURE 1, instead of toward the left, the brackets 29 are installed in reverse positions, namely, are turned end-for-end from the positions thereof shown in FIGURE 1, to provide the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 3, namely, where the pivot pin 35 is located adjacent the left end of the bracket 29 instead of adjacent its right end, as shown in FIGURE 2. With the arrangement of FIGURE 3, leftward movement of the reciprocating bar 13 causes the blades 20 to engage the material in the gutter 11 and to be thereby moved inwardly toward angle bar 13, as shown in dotted view in FIGURE 3, whereas, rightward movement of angle bar 13 causes the blades 20 to be swung outwardly to transverse positions, as shown in full-line view in FIGURE 3, being limited in clockwise rotation relative to bar 13 by the engagement of the wing element 28 most closely adjacent to the left end of bracket 29 with the vertical edge of the adjacent end wall 33 of the bracket, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 3. This provides a pushing action to the right as the blade is moved in this direction with bar 13.

-It will be thus readily apparent that the blade assemblies 1 8 can be interchangeably used with gutter-cleaning installations wherein the material must .be moved in either one direction or the other in the associated gutter. Furthermore, in a given installation, if it should be decided to change the collection point from one end of the gutter to the other end, it is merely necessary to reverse the brackets 29 in order to change the direction of propulsion of the material collected in the gutter.

While a specific embodiment of an improved barn gutter paddle assembly has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a barn gutter, a cleaning assembly comprising a reciprocating pusher bar mounted adjacent the gutter for reciprocatory movement parallel thereto, a substantially U-shaped bracket secured to the pusher bar and having a substantially horizontal bottom wall and substantially vertical opposite end walls, a pusher blade pivoted on said bottom wall adjacent one of said end walls for movement about a vertical axis, and a projection on the blade engageable .with said one of the end walls to limit outward rotation of the blade to an outwardly-projecting substantially transverse position of the blade relative to the pusher bar.

2. The barn gutter according to claim 1, wherein said pusher blade is pivoted on a vertical pin rising from said bottom wall for rotational movement about said pin as a vertical axis.

3. The barn gutter according to claim 2, wherein said pusher blade is provided with a pivot lug which is rotatably-engaged on said pivot pin, and wherein said projection embodies a wing element projecting outwardly of said lug and engageable with said one of the end walls to limit outward rotation of the blade to the outwardlyprojecting substantially transverse position of the blade relative to the pusher bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,593,340 4/1952 Petraske 198224 2,925,169 2/1960 Garand et al 198-224 3,045,811 7/ 196-2 Wenger 198224 3,086,643 4/1963 MoDufiie 19822l 3,169,634 2/1965 Weigand et a1 l98--224 EVON C. BLUN'K, Primary Examiner.

M. L. AJEMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A BARN GUTTER, A CLEANING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RECIPROCATING PUSHER BAR MOUNTED ADJACENT THE GUTTER FOR RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT PARALLEL THERETO, A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED BRACKET SECURED TO THE PUSHER BAR AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM WALL AND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL OPPOSITE END WALLS, A PUSHER BLADE PIVOTED ON SAID BOTTOM WALL ADJACENT ONE OF SAID END WALLS FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, AND A PROJECTION ON THE BLADE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ONE OF THE END WALLS TO LIMIT OUTWARD ROTATION OF THE BLADE TO AN OUTWARDLY-PROJECTING SUBTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE POSITION TO THE BLADE RELATIVE TO THE PUSHER BAR. 